Former Clinton campaign strategist James Carville was long known in political and media circles for coining the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” that became a shorthand summary of why Bill Clinton defeated President George H.W. Bush’s 1992 bid for a second term in the White House.

But what Carville is likely to be remembered for going forward happened recently when he let loose a stunningly unhinged explosion of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) on the “Politics War Room” podcast. “I got it, and I want it, and I want it to get worse. If I could take a pill that would help me hate that mother****** more and obsess on him more, I would take that pill. Maybe we can have a pharmacological intervention, I don’t know,” Carville declared in a widely shared outburst.

Almost simultaneously, a new Issues & Insights/TIPP survey revealed for all to see that TDS is not merely a memorable term for people who passionately disagree with America’s 45th and 47^th chief executive, but rather, in the words of board-certified psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, qualifies as “a mental health and societal concern” that merits being listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Consider these findings of the survey:

• More than a third of the public (38%) and more than half of Democrats (53%) say they themselves have experienced TDS when it’s described as “unusually intense negative emotional reactions to Donald Trump.”
• 70% say they observed Trump-related emotional stress, anger, or agitation among people they know.
• 62% say they have seen people change their behavior because of strong negative feelings toward Trump.
• 41% know people who refuse to socialize with friends or family who support Trump.
• 37% have seen obsessive attention to Trump combined with anger toward his supporters.
• 22% say they have seen threats or aggressive or violent behavior tied to negative feelings about Trump.

There is no modern precedent in American politics comparable to such deeply intense, anti-rational rejection of a particular individual candidate or elected official. As the Issues & Insights (I&I) editorial board observed about those results, even Americans who eagerly anticipate the day when Donald Trump is no longer in the White House and is retired from public office should be concerned about what this survey makes clear about the extent and damaging impact of TDS on the body politic.

“Because, left untreated, TDS sufferers won’t suddenly be cured when Trump leaves the White House. Their obsession will just transfer to a new tormentor. You can already see this with the left’s bloodlust toward Elon Musk. And it’s a certainty that no matter who Republicans nominate to succeed Trump, he or she will be the next target of their derangement,” I&I points out.

JD Vance, Mark Rubio, are you prepared for this?

Odds are, given the overwhelmingly liberal cast of the APA leadership and, indeed, much of its membership, that Lieberman’s efforts to get TDS included in the DSM will be denied. The APA has endorsed abortion-on-demand and transgender drug treatment and surgery for young children. The group has also aligned itself with advocates of critical race theory (CRT) who condemn America as a racist country due to its Caucasian majority population.

Even so, her official proposal submitted to the APA’s powers-that-be doesn’t mince words: “Trump Derangement Syndrome is not simply a pejorative label to be thrust at those whose politics one disagrees with, nor is it simply a media catchphrase. It’s a dangerous psychiatric epidemic threatening the mental health of Americans and the stability of the country. While political obsession is not new, the sheer volume, breadth, intensity and consequences of anti-Trump behavior suggest a distinct and escalating syndrome worthy of clinical attention.”

In addition, Liebman’s proposal includes page after page of examples of mild, moderate, and severe cases of TDS among entertainers, elected officials, academic figures, and others. And the proposal lays out the negative effects to date of the failure to recognize and treat TDS for what it is:

“Trump Derangement Syndrome has not only led to political and personal divisiveness, it has led to family breakdown, institutional breakdown, lawfare, protests and uncontrollable violence. People with TDS have gone beyond political disagreement to boisterously embrace conspiracy theories, such as alleging Trump colluded with Russia and more. Though his second term is only in its second year, there are already impeachment plots being hatched.

“Trump Derangement Syndrome has even affected international relations, since American media reach across the globe and reflect TDS behavior. This encourages other countries to copy the disrespect and rebelliousness of Americans afflicted with this syndrome, and endangers our security.”

It should be noted, however, that the APA has in recent years reiterated its Goldwater Rule advising members to never give psychiatric evaluations of individuals they have not personally examined. It’s called the Goldwater Rule because a number of psychiatrists who favored Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson publicly questioned the mental health of his Republican opponent, Senator Barry Goldwater, despite the fact that none of them had ever personally evaluated the man. So it is possible that the APA’s leadership will recognize TDS as a related issue and endorse Liebman’s proposal.